In early 2010 the Urban Libraries Council invited its members to share their most successful innovations to highlight the excellent work occurring in libraries everyday. A panel of judges selected 12 outstanding programs out of 200 library success stories that were shared. Winning submissions were chosen based on the innovation, results achieved, and the ability for the innovation to be replicated in other libraries. HPL was selected for innovation in the Operations category for our HPL Express service model. For more on these awards, please see http://www.urbanlibraries.org/associations/9851/files/ulc_1002_top%20innovations_publication.pdf.
The Good Brick Awards have been given since 1979 to recognize local contributions to the preservation, restoration, and enhancement of Houston's architectural and cultural heritage. This project at the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research preserved the 1917 William L. Clayton House, 5300 Caroline Street, a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. The project included rehabilitation and repurposing of the main house and adaptive reuse of the guesthouse and carriage house.
The Clayton Home is a three-story brick Georgian-style house built in 1917 and designed by renowned Houston architect Birdsall P. Briscoe. The house was the home of Houston businessman and statesman William Lockhart Clayton and his wife Susan Vaughan Clayton until 1958, when it was deeded to the City of Houston to be used in the future for Library purposes. Mr. Clayton remained in the home until his death in 1966. The Clayton Home was recorded as a Texas Historical Landmark in 1989.
The project was funded by the Clayton Library Friends, the Clayton Family, and the City of Houston. Architectural design for the renovation was provided by Glassman Shoemake Maldonado Architects, Inc., with the construction contract awarded to Workman Commercial Construction Services L.T.D. Asakura Robinson Company served as the landscape architect.
For more information about the award, please see http://www.ghpa.org/awards
AND
The 2009 John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award, which recognizes and honors outstanding achievement in library public relations. The John Cotton Dana honor has been awarded continuously since 1946 and is sponsored by the H.W. Wilson Company, the H.W. Wilson Foundation, and the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). It is considered to be the most prestigious of all library awards in the field of public relations. HPL was recognized for “A New Chapter,” our public relations campaign for the grand reopening of the newly renovated Central Library.
The 2009 Texas Library Association Wayne Williams Library Project of the Year Award, which recognizes a project that exemplifies the highest levels of achievement, professional standards, and inspiration to other libraries. HPL was recognized for its efforts to provide emergency care for the children of City of Houston employees immediately following Hurricane Ike. With the city in need of clean up and essential services in the aftermath of the storm, many city employees were required to return to work without the ability to send their children to school or daycare. After discussions with Mayor Bill White and Houston City Council Member Sue Lovell, HPL staff created a program that provided services and activities to 500 children, allowing their parents to focus on the repair and recovery needs of the city.
The 2009 Technology Solutions Award from the Public Technology Institute, a national, not-for-profit organization that works to identify best practices in the use of technology that impact local governments. HPL won for the deployment of our Moblile Express, a “computer lab on wheels” to provide computer and internet access to communities affected by Hurricane Ike. Every day we helped people without power file online FEMA claims, prepare Blue Roof applications, or just have a cool, safe place to take their children. Our Mobile Express visited over 20 locations throughout the city, day and night, providing computer access to approximately 1,300 people. HPL won in the Telecom and IT Division, for cities with a population of 750,000 or more.
The 2009 Houston Press “Best of Houston” Award for Best Public Library Branch – The Freed-Montrose Neighborhood Library.
The 2009 Houston Press “Best of Houston” Award for Best Local Reading Series – An Evening With…